Newbies
by Brilly
Summary: Currently being rewritten. NEW FIRST CHAPTER POSTED! Please read. Full summary at the end of prologue.
1. Prologue Rewritten

X-Men: Evolution

Newbies

Prologue

China: Over fifty years ago…

"Hello, ma'am. Can your son come out to play?"

A young boy stood outside the doorway. He spoke in Chinese, and the woman answered in the same. "Of course."

She called him, and he reported to the door.

"Go along and play, son," said the woman, pushing him towards the other boy.

They ran off and joined some more boys in a village-wide game of tag. There were only about fifteen boys who were too young to be sent off to school in the town, and they played games like this frequently.

The one designated "it" chased three by the river, over the bridge, and into the tall grass of the fields. They could no longer see each other, and the only evidence that they weren't alone was the laughter ringing everywhere.

One was wandering through, watching as carefully as he could through the wheat. Out of nowhere, "it" burst through the grass and on top of him. They both toppled to the ground.

"Got you!" he said giddily, and he then ran off.

But the new "it" could not chase after him. When he had fallen, he had bumped his head on a stone. As he stood, the pain of a migraine seared through his skull. He yelled in agony as he fell back to his knees. He opened his eyes to see that everything was bathed in a hazy blue light.

The boy's head exploded.

A few of his playmates had heard his screams and had rushed to investigate, but they were pushed back by the force of the bomb that had gone off in their friend. His head was no more, replaced by a ball of light.

They tore off, screaming "Monster!" at the top of their lungs.

__

Don't go... _Please, don't leave me_... the boy thought, as the Chinese army officers surrounded him, guns pointed at the star that had become the boy's skull.

Today...

Mutants: more are emerging every day.

There is a gene inside human DNA, an "X"-gene. Only one in a hundred or so are born with it. For most, it is recessive, only to be carried on to the next generation. But for a handful of unlucky children, it emerges around puberty, as a strange and amazing power. Some are harmful, others cannot be controlled.

Most mutants are persecuted for their differences, much like blacks were persecuted a century or so ago. One man had a dream for equality for mutants. He believed that if mutants could be taught to control their powers and use them for good, then the rest of mankind would accept them.

I am Professor Charles Xavier, and I was that man. But now, my dream is dead. I cannot continue on with this anymore. I cannot have any more blood on my hands.

New York, two weeks ago...

It was an extremely hot summer day in early June. All of the students were outside by the pool. I could sense them as they happily enjoyed each other's company.

I, however, was inside, in the cool air-conditioned room that stored my mutant-detecting computer, Cerebro. The chamber was very large and spherical, as to amplify my psychic powers to detect new mutants.

I had been in that room for the past six hours, since I had awoken that morning. As per my normal routine, I went to Cerebro. As soon as I put on the helmet and began to scan, the strangest readings appeared on the screen.

Practically overnight, fifteen or so signatures had appeared. Even more bizarrely, there was one that could not be identified. Cerebro could usually take manifestations and display information on their type of power. It simply read _UNKNOWN_.

Of course, I would need to split up the team to send them to each mutant's location. But, this unidentifiable mutant could be dangerous. I would need to send all of them to find it.

Cerebro said that it was located on an island named Krakoa in the middle of the Atlantic. I logged up the coordinates to the Blackbird and then left the room.

I called to my students: _To me, my X-Men_.

When they arrived, I addressed them on the situation and its dangers. "You must be careful. I do not know what can happen here. This mutant's power could be deadly, but it could be completely harmless. Nonetheless, we must be prepared for anything. Caution is key."

"Professor," began the X-Men's field leader, codenamed Cyclops. "We just got back from fighting Magneto on Asteroid M. I think we can handle this new mutant."

"Scott, we knew what we were going up against when we faced Magneto. I have known Magnus for years. This mutant, for all we know, could be even more powerful," I replied.

This seemed to shake them a little. Magneto was extremely strong, and I could barely imagine anything more dangerous. In the future I would meet tougher opponents, but I knew nothing of it then.

So they reported to the hangar ten minutes later, suited up and ready to leave. I bid them farewell and the jet took off. I wheeled myself up to Cerebro's chamber to monitor them.

On the X-Jet, the students were silent, mentally preparing themselves for whatever they would soon face. I could sense their anxiety, their apprehension. While after the recent fight with Magneto they felt ready for anything, each one had a dread looming over them.

If only I had felt it beforehand...

The jet slowed over the middle of the ocean, slowly descending towards the water. Presently their destination appeared: a tiny island Cerebro had identified only as "Krakoa".

I watched through fellow telepath Jean Grey's eyes as the Blackbird landed and everyone stood and moved towards the lowering door. For a small piece of land, it was fairly large. I had expected from its latitude that it would be tropical, with plants, but it was completely barren. I saw Jean bend down to examine the landscape. It was made of a patterned stone, nothing I had ever seen before.

"The ground may be a result of this thing's power," said one student.

"Look!" cried another.

Jean turned and I saw a lone figure standing against the sunset. It moved towards us, but it did not walk, it glided. Its feet were attached to the ground, as if it was a part of the island itself. This was our mutant.

As it approached us, I saw that it was formed from the same material that the ground was. It had no apparent mouth, but I could hear thoughts. They were garbled, confused. I could barely sift through them. There was a feeling of drifting as I entered its head, on the astral plane. 

I was suddenly surrounded by images and sounds, swirling around an inner area, like a galaxy. I was pulled deeper inside, towards the black center, and the other thoughts became no more than background noise. I felt something stir within its calm, dark nexus. Then, as it awoke, I perceived what my mind could only translate as two yellowish, narrow eyes, opening from the void.

I no longer felt the other thoughts. I only heard one thing:

"Hungry..."

My eyes flew open as I silently screamed to my X-Men.

The figure disappeared and something else took its place. Something large. It was patterned the same as the island, but this one had a mouth. A huge mass of checkered stone moved towards the students, its maw gaping. The X-Men reacted, but slowly. Too slowly.

The orifice closed around them.

Blackness. No thoughts.

Emptiness.

No mutants.

And they were gone.

Somewhere, a boy and his girlfriend walk down a sidewalk. They are attacked by a gang, who grab the girl and throw him to the ground.

Somewhere, a boy's anger builds, and he shoots a beam of pure ice from his hands, freezing their leader to the ground. He drops the girl, and the rest scatter. He continues the frost all the way up his torso, around his arms, and up to his neck. There he stops, taunting the other young man, then finishing him off, completely encasing him in ice.

Somewhere, a girlfriend runs away, and a boy is left with his anger. He is left with pain. The boy, of course, is a mutant. But I cannot take him. If I train him, I might have to send him off, to die. I cannot take any more children. They will die.

My name is Professor Charles Xavier, and my dream is dead.

AN: A new beginning. This takes place between the first two seasons, but an alternate timeline branching from several weeks after the "Cauldron" encounter. So far, this has been my most popular fic, and I plan to keep it that way in this new start. Of course, a lot will be adapted from old X-Men storylines, such as the Krakoa capture, except that this one leads to the New Mutants instead of the second team. I do not own any characters except otherwise noted, because if I did then I would be very rich and I wouldn't have to use ff.net to get my work published.


	2. A New Beginning

A New Beginning  
  
David:  
  
I transformed my body to look normal as I touched down in Bayville. I had landed on the outskirts of town, near a medium-size mansion in the NYC suburb.  
  
John had told me about the Brotherhood's headquarters. It was in this mansion, but it didn't look as nice on the inside. It was still dark, so I lit my finger to approach the building. I checked the ground for traps. There were none.  
  
I passed a sign that said "The Brotherhood of Bayville" and I knew I had found the right place.  
  
The lights were still on in three of the upstairs rooms, even though my watch told me it was after 2 in the morning.  
  
I raised my fist to knock on the door. I rapped several times, and the door fell in.  
  
John had been right. This place was a wreck. Food wrappers, clothes, schoolbooks, and a few mice covered the floor. I heard some banging around upstairs.  
  
I looked up the dark staircase. A strange kid was sitting on the wall above my head.  
  
"Whoa!" I fell backwards, surprised.  
  
"Who are you, yo?"  
  
"Can I speak with Lance?"  
  
"Whaddaya want?"  
  
"To speak with Lance."  
  
"Yo, Alvers!"  
  
A new voice replied. "What, Toad?"  
  
"Some idiot wants to talk with you."  
  
"Tell him to go away."  
  
That angered me. I changed into light, scaring the crud out of the frog-like one. I drifted up through the ceiling.  
  
"Uh, Lance, I think you're about to have a little company!" called Toad.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, look and see, yo!"  
  
I came up into a messy bedroom. Clothes were hanging out of the dresser drawers and strewn all over the carpetless floor.  
  
"Whoa, what are you supposed to be?" asked a tall guy sitting on the bed with stereo headphones on.  
  
"A friend of John Allerdice."  
  
"Oh. That pyro?"  
  
"Yes, he does like to burn things."  
  
"Haha. I'm Lance Alvers, current leader of the Brotherhood."  
  
"Where's Magneto?"  
  
"He and Mystique disappeared a while back."  
  
"So you're in command for the time being?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
I changed back to normal. "Well, I'm David McCormick, but you can call me Lumen."  
  
"Lumen… isn't that the measurement of sound?"  
  
"You have a lot to learn."  
  
"Oh. So what do you want with the Brotherhood? You wanna join?"  
  
"No. Well, technically, yes. But I have a proposition for you."  
  
He sat up. "Oh yeah? What kind of proposition?"  
  
"I want to take over. Wait! Before you go crazy, let me explain. I have a way to get new recruits for the Brotherhood. If you let me command, I can get these new recruits for you. When Magneto returns, he'll be happy we have more mutants."  
  
"How do you plan to get these new recruits?"  
  
"I know where we can find them."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Do you have any of the X-Men's instant messenger screen names?"  
  
"Yeah, Kitty's. Why?"  
  
"If you'll let me talk to her under your screen name, I can send an electronic signal through to the mansion's computers and get to Cerebro. I can trace new mutants from there."  
  
"Wow. Okay, I'll let you in. But on one condition."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"If this fails, you're out."  
  
"Okay."  
  
The next day I was introduced to the rest of the team:  
  
The Blob, a rather large kid who was "unmovable".  
  
Quicksilver, the fastest man alive.  
  
"Wait… isn't that the Flash?"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Never mind."  
  
Avalanche, who could create earthquakes.  
  
Toad, who was just like a frog. He could jump high, stretch out his tongue, and spit slime all over.  
  
Kind of a sad power…  
  
They all accepted me as the new leader, and I became Lumen, the guy who could turn into light!  
  
Sigh…  
  
Scott:  
  
We landed in the secret basement of the mansion, located behind a waterfall. Everyone fell out when I opened the door, right on top of me.  
  
We only had the helicopter, so there wasn't enough space for everyone to get any legroom.  
  
Professor X immediately wheeled himself mentally towards the door. He went through it and straight to Cerebro. I followed him  
  
"Professor, what's wrong?"  
  
He had put on the helmet and was staring at the screen.  
  
"There have been many new mutant powers activating. Cerebro was about to shut itself down, never to be rebooted.  
  
"Will everyone please report to Cerebro?" he said mentally.  
  
Within minutes, all of my fellow students were gathered around the supercomputer.  
  
"What's this about, Professor?" asked Rogue. "Ah was about to go to bed."  
  
"I'm sorry, Rogue, but this is important.  
  
"There have been a large number of X-genes becoming active within the past few days. Even though we're not sure if Magneto is still alive, I believe we need to reach these mutants before he, or someone else, does.  
  
"I will be sending all of you to locate and convince these new mutants to come here to Bayville."  
  
He continued to tell us about the new recruits.  
  
"Bobby Drake here lives nearby, on Long Island. Jean and Scott will be dispatched to find him.  
  
"Samuel Guthrie is in Kentucky. Rogue and Kurt will find him, and then will be traveling to Scotland to find Rahne Sinclair.  
  
"Jubilation Lee is hiding in a Hollywood mall. Kitty and Scott will be sent to California to persuade her to come with us."  
  
"Woo-hoo! We're goin' to Hollywood!" yelled Kitty.  
  
"Jamie Madrox is also living in Scotland as a foreign exchange student, so Evan and Jean will go with the other Scottish team and split as soon as you land.  
  
"Tabitha Smith lives in Texas, so Kurt and Jean will find her as soon as you get back to the States.  
  
"Ray Crisp lives in Florida. Kurt and Kitty, you will head there.  
  
"Amara Aquila lives in Nova Roma, a colony of the Roman Empire before it fell located in the Amazon jungle. She will not be familiar with technology, so try to land far enough away so as not to be seen. Scott and Kitty will go there after Hollywood.  
  
"Roberto DaCosta lives in Brazil. Rogue, pack your sunscreen, because you and Evan are heading there. They're going through a dry spell.  
  
"And last… David McCormick. He is…missing from home? Oh, he is using his powers in Bayville. I afraid he is living with the Brotherhood. We were too late."  
  
Everyone began to leave to pack. I stayed behind.  
  
"Professor, is there something you're not telling us?"  
  
"I believe that since Magneto and Mystique may still be out there, we need to move quickly to get these new mutants."  
  
"Do you know why all these powers are coming out all at once?"  
  
"No, Scott. But I am trying to figure that out. Go get some sleep. You have a long journey ahead of you." 


	3. Arctic Hatred

Arctic Hatred  
  
Bobby  
  
"Robert, can you come here for a minute?"  
  
My mom was calling. I stepped into the kitchen. She was standing with her head in the freezer.  
  
"Honey, the fridge isn't working again. Can you…?"  
  
"Say no more."  
  
I held my hands out as she pulled her head back. Blasts of ice flew out from my fingertips into the cold compartment and lined the walls, freezing the air inside.  
  
I had known about my mutant power since I turned about 14. I could create and control ice. Nobody but me and my parents knew. I hadn't been outside the house, besides school, since I accidentally froze that dog.  
  
You don't wanna know.  
  
Anyway, I had actually gotten asked by some of my friends to go to the mall that afternoon, so I needed to get permission.  
  
"So, uh, Mom?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Can I go to the mall this afternoon with the guys?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Um… can I go to the mall?"  
  
"No, you can't go out in public like this!"  
  
"Mom, I can handle this thing! Didn't you just see that?"  
  
"You're still not ready to control it!"  
  
"I just did!"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Fine. I'll never learn to keep them a secret if there's nobody to keep them from!"  
  
"I guess you're right. You can go. But be back by 6 for dinner."  
  
"Yes!"  
  
I ran to my room and grabbed the phone.  
  
Beep beep beep…  
  
I dialed the number as fast as I could without freezing the buttons.  
  
"Hey, Jason? I can come with you! Okay, I'll meet you there at 4."  
  
* * *  
  
I arrived at 3:58 that Saturday afternoon. I saw Jason standing near the door. "Where're the others?" I asked.  
  
"They're inside at Tech World. The new Spider-Men game is out for PlayStation, and you can play it."  
  
"Sweet! Let's get inside."  
  
We walked in. "Oh," I remembered, "I have to be back home at 6 for dinner, so I'll have to leave early."  
  
"That's cool."  
  
We went immediately to Tech World. There were games lining the walls. Computer games, PlayStation1-2 games, Game Boy games, '64 games. This was a gamer's paradise.  
  
I walked over to the Nintendo area. There was a Game Boy attached to the wall with several games on ropes that you could put in and play. The console was actually a Game Boy Advance, but what does that matter?  
  
I popped in the newest Legend of Zelda cartridge and began to play. Whoever had played before me had left off in an icy dungeon, which I did not think was funny.  
  
I began to play, but died almost immediately. Okay, so this version wasn't as easy as the original, so what? I popped in another cartridge. I couldn't read the title, because it was a preview game straight from Japan.  
  
It was pretty fun, but I couldn't tell what anybody was saying or what I was supposed to do. It was fun anyway.  
  
I checked my watch. Five o'clock. "Hey guys, wanna go check out the other stores?"  
  
They didn't answer. "Hello?"  
  
I walked around the aisle. They were gone.  
  
I went up to the counter. "Hey, where did those guys go?"  
  
"I think they said somethin' 'bout goin' to da movies."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
I ran out to the movie theater in the middle of the big mall. "Hey guys!"  
  
They were standing in line to see some movie, I didn't check.  
  
"Hey, I'm gonna go check out the other stores. I can't stay for a whole movie anyway."  
  
"That's cool. See ya," said Jason.  
  
I headed over to the Dungeon, the comic store. The place wasn't very busy, especially for the day of the new comic releases. Every Saturday around 5, they would put out the new stuff.  
  
"Hey. What kind of new stuff do you have?"  
  
"Well, we got the new Batman…"  
  
"No, I mean Marvel. Forget DC."  
  
"Right. We got the new Elektra…"  
  
"Anything in the Hulk department?"  
  
"Yeah. The 'Nuff Said one is out."  
  
"Finally! How much?"  
  
"$2.50."  
  
"Here."  
  
I pulled out the cash and handed it to him.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
I heard a voice behind me. "You into the Jade Giant too?"  
  
I turned to see Ashley. I had liked her for ever.  
  
"Uh, yeah."  
  
"Cool. How far back have you read?"  
  
"Number… 25, I think, plus all the other things. Startling Stories, Son of Canada, Wolverine/Hulk crossover, all the novels, Avengers issues, I've ridden the Hulk coaster at Universal Studios, anything Hulk, I've read it or done it."  
  
"Wow."  
  
"Yeah, I guess I'm kinda obsessed. What about you?"  
  
"Well, I just got into it. I found a cheap copy of Hulk #1 at some wacky little shop in L.A., so I bought it. After that, I wanted the rest of them."  
  
"Issue 1? For how much?"  
  
"Fifty bucks."  
  
"Fifty bucks?!? What's the condition?"  
  
"Almost mint."  
  
"Wow."  
  
"Yeah. I guess I'm hooked now, too."  
  
"Cool."  
  
I looked at my watch. "Oh, crud! I'm gonna be late! I need to be home by 6! It's 5:45 now!"  
  
"How far away do you live?"  
  
"Just a few blocks away, on Elm."  
  
"Really? I live like a block from you1"  
  
"Can I walk you home?"  
  
"Sure!"  
  
We walked out of the mall together and started out into the parking lot. There weren't many empty parking places, I noticed.  
  
It was a warm summer day on Long Island. We walked onto the sidewalk that led next to the street. Cars honked, birds chirped, and we talked about Hulk #1 and where we might find #2.  
  
I lived three blocks down, Ashley one less. After one block, I heard laughing above us. I held my hand back to keep her back.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"I dunno."  
  
"Stand back."  
  
Out of nowhere, the resident gang, the Elm Warriors, jumped from the trees and attacked us.  
  
"What do you want?" asked the leader.  
  
"We just want to pass," said Ashley calmly.  
  
"Stay outta this, babe!" said the leader.  
  
"Listen, you don't wanna mess with me, man," I said loudly.  
  
"What're you gonna do, step on my foot?"  
  
"I didn't want to do this… Stand back, Ash." I pointed my hands at the gang members' feet. My body was coated with ice as I shot out more.  
  
"What are you doin'?" asked the leader. He tried to run away, but his feet were stuck to the cement with frost.  
  
"That should hold you for a while. It should melt, since it is a little warm out here," I told him. I turned to Ashley.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
But she just stared. Her eyes were wide open in terror and her mouth opened and let out a scream.  
  
"Get away from me, you freak! You're one of those mutants!"  
  
"No, Ashley, I…"  
  
She didn't wait for me to finish, but just ran towards her house.  
  
Crud!  
  
Why?  
  
Why were mutants so feared?  
  
Why couldn't normal people accept us for who we are?  
  
Normal people…  
  
Why me?  
  
Why wasn't I normal?  
  
Why? 


	4. Human Cannonball

A.N. Remember: Lumen is the bad guy who can turn into light. Shade (not introduced yet) is the good guy who can turn into shadow. I know its kinda confusing, but you're smart, you can figure it out, right?  
  
Human Cannonball  
  
Sam:  
  
Life was goin' swell and everything was just peachy, until my dad came home one day and said, "Son, I'm sorry, but I lost my job at the power plant. I'm goin' to have to work in the coal mines for a while. But, until we can get back on our feet, you're goin' to have to work with me."  
  
"What?!?"  
  
"I'm sorry, Samuel, but we cain't afford to not have you there, too."  
  
That was just fine. If Ah got lung cancer from the coal dust and died, who cared? It wasn't like Ah had any friends anyway.  
  
The next week, I started at the mine.  
  
Wait a minute, back up. Howdy, mah name is Sam Guthrie. Ah live in Kentucky. Ah have a horrible job. Ah have no friends. Okay, there's mah life story.  
  
There you go. Anyway, Ah was in the mine for several months, luggin' the huge mine cart up and down the dark dusty tunnels. Pa would use his pickax to knock the ebony stones from the walls. Ah would take them and wheel them up to the daylight, where they would be loaded into more carts to be shipped off to who knows where.  
  
Ah used my goggles to block out the soot from my eyes. Every worker wore a black jumpsuit. Mine was a little big, since Ah was the youngest worker in the mine.  
  
One day, the boss called all the workers together for a meetin'. We were all gathered around the sign-in station, where the big man stood on the porch with a bullhorn.  
  
Ah looked around and saw that all the guys around me were big and burly. Their ahms were thicker around than Ah was. Ah was almost scared of the looks on their faces.  
  
Boss-man began to talk. "Howdy, workers. Today, we're gonna have a breakthrough in the mine. Take a look at these!" He held up a stick of dynamite. The minin' company's budget was a little low.  
  
"We're gonna use these to blow through that south wall! More coal lies on the other side, and it's gonna be ours!"  
  
Dynamite? This could get interestin'…  
  
"The only problem is that only two of our guys are limber enough t' get away from the blast: Jack and Sam Guthrie."  
  
What?!? Me?!?  
  
This was not right.  
  
Ah wasn't fast, but then, next to these guys, Ah was the Flash.  
  
Mah dad an' I started to work with the charges almost immediately. We would light it, place it next to the wall, and run like thunder towards the entrance of the tunnel.  
  
It went pretty well for a while.  
  
After about, oh, three weeks, Ah reckon, somethin' happened down there that changed mah life fer ever.  
  
The last blast had rattled the mine pretty good, and some rocks were loose an' fallin' to the ground. They weren't but leetle rocks, though.  
  
Or so we thought. We set the charge and turned.  
  
"Y'all okay down there?" called a voice from above. Too loud.  
  
A cave-in started. Huge stones fell from the ceilin'.  
  
"Run, Sam!" said mah Pa. Ah turned to look back at him.  
  
"Ah cain't leave y' here to git crushed!"  
  
"Just go!"  
  
Ah couldn't. Ah ran back, but just as Ah reached him, a large pebble landed on his head, knockin' him out. Ah gasped.  
  
Could Ah get him? Ah couldn't carry him and reach the exit. But Ah could try. Ah scooped him up with strength Ah didn't know Ah had an' charged to daylight.  
  
Ah heard a beep and knew the charge was about t' blow. It was too late fer us.  
  
Ah tried one last thing to reach th' exit. Ah jumped with all mah might toward freedom. Not far enough, though.  
  
Suddenly, Ah felt a strange feeling come over mah legs. Ah flew forward, mah legs propellin' me forward with a weird blast.  
  
A rock fell in mah path. Th' powers sent me straight through the boulder! Ah looked back and saw dust where the stone had been.  
  
Whoa.  
  
As flame erupted from th' far wall, Ah reached the sun.  
  
I landed on the ground and covered mah dad's unconscious form with mah own. Small pieces of debris rained down, but nothin' dangerous.  
  
Several workers came up t' me and asked, "How'd y' get outta there in time?" Ah tried to reply, but nothin' came.  
  
Ah had no answer.  
  
Nothin' could explain this.  
  
Mah pa an' Ah were allowed to go home for th' rest of the day to rest.  
  
That's when an explanation came. 


	5. Fireworks

Fireworks  
  
Jubilation:  
  
"Hey! Get outta da road!"  
  
"I'm walkin' here!" I yelled to the idiot in the cab.  
  
I continued to splash along the wet street. I stepped once on the white blocks, once in-between on the pavement. Small puddles formed in the steady downpour. I only wore my yellow rain slick over my clothes.  
  
I put my pink sunglasses down over my eyes to deflect the rain, but all it did was make it harder to see. I placed them back on top of my soaked black hair.  
  
I walked past a window, filled with TV screens. The weatherman was pointing to little spots on a map of my hometown of Beverly Hills, CA.  
  
"The rain could continue until next week, and there is a large thunderstorm headed to the downtown area, so if you are out, get in!"  
  
I had nowhere to "get in" to. I was homeless. Yesterday, my parents and I were coming home from a restaurant, when some nut in a black Sedan swerved in front of us.  
  
My parents tried to turn to the side to keep from hitting him, but we skidded on the drenched road from the rain all week. We hit the railing on the side, and it rammed straight through the car door next to me! I had been sitting on the left side, so I was not harmed.  
  
My mother, on the other hand, was smashed by the impact. I tried to get my door open, but it was stuck. I hit it, and a strange light hit the handle, melting it. I kicked the door open and fell out.  
  
I opened my father's door, but he had been hurt, too. I turned to see if anyone was stopping to help, but none came.  
  
I ran, hoping to see the hospital, or a pay phone. I got about thirty yards away when the car exploded in flames! I hit the ground, blown back by the force.  
  
I got up and ran down the side of the road, tears clouding my vision. All that I saw were headlights of SUVs, minivans, and smaller cars. I tripped on something lying on the ground and fell.  
  
I lay there, crying, until I fell asleep.  
  
I woke up the next day and just walked, hoping to find someone that could help. I found nothing.  
  
So here I was, in the rain, trying to find shelter for the thunderstorm. I found an abandoned building. It looked like it had once been a hotel, but no one stayed there but me.  
  
I sat in a corner of the dirt and grime and took off my yellow jacket. It dripped with precipitation. The building was cold. I only had a sleeveless sweater and jeans.  
  
What could I do now? The only place to go to now was…  
  
Hollywood!  
  
If I went to Hollywood, I could meet the stars, maybe become one myself!  
  
And, as long as I was dreaming, I'd like to be a millionaire.  
  
I'd just go there and hang out. I might have a chance to get to see the stars, but only from afar.  
  
It sounded like the rain had stopped. I looked out a dust-covered window and saw the sun come out.  
  
I walked out into the sunshine. It was so bright that I had to put on my sunglasses. The world was thrown into a pinkish tint.  
  
I walked through the brighter world. Signs all over pointed towards Hollywood. I followed their directions until I saw the huge white letters on the overlooking hillside.  
  
I snuck through the security and looked around the streets. Tour buses drove around, showing people the sights. I had no money, so I just had to sightsee for myself.  
  
I found a mall that was open to the public (as long as you were legally in Hollywood) and went in.  
  
The food court was very expensive, so I had an idea. I could pick pockets to pay for food and clothing! It always looked easy in movies…  
  
So for several weeks, I snuck around, grabbing pocket change, billfolds, and entire wallets out of purses and coat pockets. I bought burgers, fish, Chinese food, and all kinds of fast food from the court and a Chili's Too in the mall.  
  
That only lasted a couple weeks. One day, I tried picking the pocket of some rich lady. She was wearing this big fur coat, with pockets on the sides. While she was shopping, I snuck up and reached inside.  
  
It was just my luck that some kid was also in the store. He saw me and called out, "Hey, you! Get away from her!"  
  
I grabbed the cash and ran. I knocked over a mannequin as I sprinted towards my hiding place, a little shop that had been closed down, but no new construction had begun.  
  
I ran through a hallway into the door marked "Keep Out". I locked it behind me. It was dark inside. As my eyes adjusted, I pulled out the wad of dough. About fifty bucks. That could feed me for about ten days, so I was pretty good for that time.  
  
As I began to sit down and catch my breath, I heard a banging on the door. "Mall Security! Open this door! We know you're in there!"  
  
I tried to look for a way out, but all I saw was the door that had been pulled down to keep out shoppers.  
  
I groped for the handle and pulled it up. There was still a chain fence in front, blocking my freedom. I looked down at the lock keeping it bolted to the floor.  
  
I pulled out a hair pen that I had used to get in the room in the first place and began to pick it. The wire broke, so I threw it away. I held the lock and shook it. "Stupid lock! Why won't you open?"  
  
Suddenly, the same weird light from that night with the wreck exploded from my fingers and melted the metal! I grabbed the bottom of the blockade and chunked it up towards the ceiling. I ran out into the crowds and lost myself.  
  
* * *  
  
After that, I fed myself by dazzling people with my power. I created firework-like bursts in the air above me. Everyone would cheer and give me change and bills in a hat that I had bought with part of the fifty.  
  
One day, one of the same guards that had pursued me was watching. "Hey, you're that little pickpocket!" he yelled. I took off running.  
  
He came after me, calling reinforcements in. They chased me all over the mall. I ran up the escalator, getting away from them for a time. I kept going, until I found the down escalator. I ran down that one, knocking some old guy down with me.  
  
Finally, I worked myself into a corner. They had me. "Put your hands up," said one with handcuffs. I put them up, and then shot blasts of blinding light in their faces.  
  
Confused, they looked away and rubbed their eyes. I ran off. 


	6. Werewolf

A/N: After Moira takes over the story, I am using the dialogue adapted from the comic book The New Mutants. I don't own the characters; I just had to use it for this story.  
  
Werewolf  
  
Rahne:  
  
"Come, Rahne, ye'll be late t' school again!"  
  
I fell out of my warm bed into the chilly morning. My mother was standing at the doorway to my room, her hands on her hips. I glanced at my clock. 7:30! I had thirty minutes to get ready and walk to the schoolhouse, which was thirty minutes away!  
  
I was not going to make it.  
  
I jumped up and grabbed some clothes. I put on a butter-yellow dress.  
  
I ran out into the living room, where my parents sat, watching the morning news.  
  
"Have t' go, I'm late!" I called as I closed the front door.  
  
"Wait! Ye forgot your lunch!" called my mother.  
  
I didn't hear her. I just sprinted as quickly as I could towards the school, on the other side of the little village.  
  
Here on the wee Scottish isle known as Muir Island, we only had a few children, so the school was small. I only had one friend my age, an American boy name Jamie Madrox.  
  
I reached the school right before the bell rang. I burst through the door and into the schoolteacher, Moira McTaggert.  
  
"Ye were almost late again, Miss Sinclair," she said.  
  
"I'm sorry, Milady. The streets were crowded today," I lied. I did not want her to know that I had overslept again.  
  
"Aye, very well, but do nae let that happen again. Take your seat, and we will begin."  
  
I sat down at a small table next to Jamie. He leaned over and whispered, "Oversleep again?"  
  
I nodded.  
  
After looking around and quickly counting heads, the teacher noticed that someone was missing. "Where is Samuel?" she asked.  
  
The red-haired 16-year-old was not in his seat. His partner at the table spoke up. "He's sick today, Milady."  
  
"All right. Let's get on to today's lesson."  
  
Moira McTaggert was the local doctor, but she was the only person on the island qualified to teach the few children that we had. She had taken the job, though reluctantly. The town council had finally convinced her only a few weeks ago.  
  
She began the lesson on dividing fractions. "Everybody, please pay attention to this problem: three-fourths divided by one-sixth. If ye all will look at the rule in your Mathematics Book, page 64, ye will see that it is impossible to divide fractions…"  
  
As she droned on, my mind began to wander. I looked out the window at what Jamie told me was beautiful landscape. I had never left Scotland, so I didn't know what any other land looked like. He said that America had a few pretty areas, but nothing like here.  
  
I had to take his word for it. I was never getting off of this island.  
  
After a while, a bell rang. Ms. McTaggert put the minute bell back down on her desk. "Students, it is time for recess. Ye may go outside."  
  
Everybody jumped up and hurried outside into the sunshine. I walked with Jamie and we talked.  
  
"So, why do you keep oversleeping?" he asked.  
  
"I keep having these nightmares. They wake me up and I cannae get back t' sleep."  
  
"What are the dreams?"  
  
"I am running through the woods near my house. It is very dark, but there is a full moon. Suddenly, I feel this strange sensation in my hands. I look at them, and they are hairy! They look like wolf's paws. I fall to all fours and then continue running. My dress slips off and I trip. A huge crowd of people run up to my fallen body and grab me. Then I wake up."  
  
"Weird. What do you think they mean?"  
  
"I'm not sure, but--"  
  
I was interrupted by two older lads. They were both 16. "Look, it's little Rahne and Jamie," said one.  
  
"Aye. What do ye think we should do to them?"  
  
"I don't know. Maybe we should just have a little fun with them."  
  
The first one began to punch me, first in the arm, then my face.  
  
"Stop it!" yelled Jamie.  
  
"What're ye goin' to do, cry to McTaggert?" asked the second bully.  
  
"Leave her alone!"  
  
"Why should we?"  
  
Jamie jumped in and pushed me out of the way. The bully's fist hit him straight in the chest. He fell back and hit the ground. As he hit the green grass, he split into five other copies of himself!  
  
"What are ye, some sort of freak?" asked one of the lads. They ran off, scared of his splitting into multiple parts.  
  
"Jamie, are ye all right?" I asked, kneeling down beside one.  
  
"I…think so…" said several voices at once. They were all speaking in unison!  
  
"What the…?" they asked. The closest one stood up, followed by the others, and looked at each of its pieces. "Oh, man!"  
  
They all pulled back together. "What's happening to me?" he yelled, then turned towards the woods and ran as fast as he could towards them.  
  
"Jamie, come back!" I said, but he couldn't have heard me. I ran after him into the trees.  
  
After wandering around for I don't know how long, I sat down, fatigued, against a tree. I looked out into the foliage and saw nothing.  
  
"Jamie!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.  
  
There was no reply. I called again, but there was still nothing.  
  
My red hair was drenched with sweat. It hung down in front of my eyes. I had let it down that day, so there was nothing to keep it out of my sight.  
  
I heard thunder, and rain began to fall. I was still extremely tired, and I could not get up. I reached up to cover my head and saw my hands.  
  
They looked exactly how they had in my dream!  
  
I felt hair beginning to grow up my arms. I tore off a sleeve to see. What was going on?  
  
It was then that I noticed that the sun had set. It was night. I looked up and saw a lantern through the rain and shadows. Someone was looking for me!  
  
"Rahne!" someone called.  
  
"I'm over here!" I tried to say, but the words would not come out. I felt my face with a paw. It was the shape of a dog's!  
  
Or a wolf's!  
  
The light moved closer. It was Reverend Craig and a group of men. One of them pointed a flashlight in my face.  
  
"There she is! That's the dress she was wearing!"  
  
"But look at her!"  
  
"She's a witch!"  
  
"She's possessed by a demon!"  
  
I heard a shot, then felt a pang in my side. I forced myself up and ran. I couldn't get onto two feet, and had to run on all fours. Amazingly, it was easy! I wasn't crawling, just running. I felt my dress get caught on a thorn, but I continued to run. It tore off.  
  
I was completely wolf!  
  
All I could do was keep running. I leapt over a ridge, into a meadow. As I landed, I fell over, too weary from my wound.  
  
I looked over and saw Moira sitting against the ridge.  
  
"M-milady… help…"  
  
Then the shadows overtook me…  
  
* * *  
  
Moira  
  
"What the blazes?!?"  
  
Something leapt over my head.  
  
A wolf--? But they had been extinct in these parts for generations. Wait! Something was happening!  
  
No ordinary beast, that's certain. It was a shape-changer!  
  
That was a nasty fall. It may have been hurt.  
  
No "it", either, but a girl. And fairly young by the look of her.  
  
"Easy, lass. Don't try t' move. I mean you no harm. I'm a doctor."  
  
"M-milady…help…"  
  
She spoke English, and knew me. Her transition wasn't complete. Her features were still shifting, becoming completely human.  
  
Oh, my, I knew her, too! I had delivered her, years ago, and she was in the school. It's Rahne Sinclair!  
  
She'd been shot! Only a minor flesh wound, she would be all right.  
  
Then I remembered… her blood had had an anomalous DNA matrix. I had tagged it for further study but had never gotten the chance to follow up. She was 14, puberty, just the right age for any powers to manifest themselves. She could have been a mutant!  
  
"There she is! There's the witch! But see who's with her! Reverend, it's Lady Moira!"  
  
A group of men, led by the reverend, ran out of the woods, carrying guns and lanterns.  
  
"Stand aside, Milady. We've no wish t' trouble ye. 'Tis the girl we want," said Craig.  
  
"This is Kinross land, Reverend Craig. You're trespassing. State your business," I said angrily.  
  
"We do God's work this night, lady. Rahne Sinclair is possessed. The Devil speaks through her."  
  
"You're daft, old man," I countered.  
  
"Mock me at your peril, Moira McTaggert. Daughter of Lord Kinross though ye may be, our intent is t' save the child's soul, to drive the demons from her."  
  
"With a bullet?! Och, what brave, noble men you are, t' so threaten a child. She's under my protection, Mr. Craig. If you want Rahne's life, you'll have t' take mine as well," I said, covering the girl's naked body with a blanket.  
  
The rest of the men turned and left, but the preacher stayed. "We are not butchers, lady, merely honest souls doing the Lord's work. Beware, woman! His will cannot be thwarted." He shook a Bible at me.  
  
"I'll take my chances."  
  
The ignorant man turned and left.  
  
I took up her unconscious body and hefted it over my shoulder.  
  
Rahne was safe, for now, but the sooner she was far away from that place, the better. Poor dear, I wonder what she makes of all this, I thought. Probably scared stiff.  
  
There was one place that I could take her. One person that could truly help her… 


	7. Multiple Personalities

A/N: I only own Shade and Lumen, and at the moment, only tobymac has permission to use them. This chapter will be the like the last chapter, but from Jamie's POV.  
  
Multiple Personalities  
  
Jamie:  
  
When I moved here from America, I thought I would hate it. I arrived and saw the most beautiful landscape I had ever seen. The tiny Muir Island was one of the best places to see the splendor of Scotland.  
  
I was a foreign exchange student from New York. I would miss the bustling activity of the city, but I liked the simplicity of this little village.  
  
The population was only about a hundred, and there were few children. Only one was my age: a redhead named Rahne Sinclair. She was pretty nice, and we quickly became friends.  
  
There was only one school, and it was just a one-room building near the meadow. One sunny day, I stepped over the threshold and noticed several people missing, one being my friend Rahne.  
  
I sat at my usual seat and waited. Only a few minutes before class started, Rahne burst through the door. She talked with the teacher for a moment, then sat down next to me.  
  
"Oversleep again, eh, Rahney?"  
  
She simply nodded. She lived on the other side of the island. Small as it was, it was still quite a walk. There was no room for streets or cars.  
  
After a lengthy and, frankly, boring lesson, McTaggert rang a small bell, indicating time for recess. We walked out into the meadow.  
  
"So, why do you keep oversleeping?" I asked.  
  
"I keep having these nightmares. They wake me up and I cannae get back t' sleep."  
  
"What are the dreams?"  
  
"I am running through the woods near my house. It is very dark, but there is a full moon. Suddenly, I feel this strange sensation in my hands. I look at them, and they are hairy! They look like wolf's paws. I fall to all fours and then continue running. My dress slips off and I trip. A huge crowd of people run up to my fallen body and grab me. Then I wake up."  
  
"Weird. What do you think they mean?" I wondered.  
  
"I'm not sure, but--"  
  
Two dudes that were about 16 walked up. "Well, if it isn't little Rahne and Jamie."  
  
"What do ye think we should do to 'em?"  
  
"Let's have a little fun with 'em."  
  
He began to punch Rahne. I got mad.  
  
"Leave her alone!" I yelled defiantly.  
  
"What're ye goin' t' do, cry to McTaggert?"  
  
"Stop!"  
  
He launched his fist at me, catching me right in the gut. I flew back and hit the ground. I suddenly felt very strange, as if something had been pulled out of me.  
  
I sat up and looked. There were several copies of myself lying around me! My eyes opened wide.  
  
"What are ye, some kind of freak?" asked the guy who socked me.  
  
They turned tail and ran away. I stood up and saw the others do the same.  
  
"What happened?" we all said at once.  
  
They all were sucked back into me, and we were a whole again. I didn't know what was wrong with me.  
  
I ran towards the shelter of the forest. Nobody could find me there!  
  
"Jamie, wait!" called my friend. I ignored her and kept running.  
  
I heard footsteps behind me and looked over my shoulder. She was following me. I didn't stop for her. I ran, turning abruptly to mss a tree, probably losing her. I didn't take any chances, though. I changed direction again to make sure.  
  
Soon, I was lost. All I could see was the shade of the trees, and the shrubs and bushes in my way. I felt exhausted. I sat down hard against a tree and split into two.  
  
"What's going on?" I yelled.  
  
The call echoed off the trees. I lie down and fell asleep, tired from running so hard for so long.  
  
When I woke up, it was dark. The sun had set a few hours ago, it seemed. I heard strange noises in the darkness. An owl hooted, making me jump.  
  
I had to find everybody else again. If I was just more careful, and didn't get hit, nobody would ever know that I was some sort of freak.  
  
I stood up and began to wander again. I couldn't see very well, so I held out my hands to make sure I didn't hit a tree.  
  
I saw a light in the distance. It looked like a fire! I ran towards it, seeing nothing in my path. I tripped over a root and went sprawling, knocking multiple pieces of myself all over.  
  
All fie of me got up. I looked for the light, but saw nothing. The fire was gone. I was lost again.  
  
What was going to happen? Was I destined to wander around in this forest forever? Was I stuck here with these strange powers? I didn't know.  
  
But I did know one thing. I did know that that was a break in the trees up ahead! After gathering up my "friends", I walked towards it.  
  
I was at the shoreline, on the other side of the island! I had wandered at least a couple miles! I saw the church up on the hillside and hope sprang anew. Maybe I had a demon, and the reverend could get it out of me!  
  
I banged on the large wooden door. No answer. "Is anyone here?" I yelled. "Reverend Craig! It's Jamie Madrox! Mr. Craig!"  
  
Nothing. I was stuck outside in the cold. It was cold! I had just realized that. I looked at my fingers, which were turning blue.  
  
I had to get inside. I found a window. Maybe if I jumped through it, I could get inside to the sanctuary. I stepped back, then took a running jump.  
  
I hit the glass and it shattered. I waited for an alarm to go off, being used to the New York windows. Nothing went off.  
  
I looked for Craig's office. I found it. There was a note on the desk. "Gone to do the Lord's work." Probably off to remove a demon from somebody.  
  
I curled up on a pew and drifted off to sleep. 


	8. From the Shadows

AN: Okay, I haven't written a chapter for this fic in forever. That was because I got stuck in Nova Roma. This chapter will be a re-pickup. It will also be the appearance of Shade, who I've been hinting at. This is also the introduction of Karma, who was in the original New Mutants comic (Marvel Graphic Novel #4, 1982) in the very beginning. I'm trying to keep her true to the comic, but still remake her for the Evolution universe.

First Missions

From the Shadows

A scream ripped through the never-silent night air of New York City. Nobody paid much attention; it was common in their atmosphere. Nobody rushed to the aid of the screamer.

Nobody _rushed_, but someone did stop to help. This person was only interested because he knew the voice. The skinny, awkward boy was passing the alleyway at the time.

The screamer was one Xi'an Coy Manh, a Vietnamese immigrant, new to the Apple. She hadn't known not to wander around the city.

She had screamed for a reason. Maybe it was because of the two men standing over her brother with clubs. 

The boy watching the scene suddenly vanished. Not meaning he turned and ran, he just disappeared.

"Filthy mutie! Die!" yelled the men, beating the Asian boy.

Xi'an screamed again. "Tran!" she cried out to her twin. He didn't answer. He didn't move at all.

The attackers turned to her. "You can do the same thing as your brother, can't you, mutant?" asked one.

She froze. If she said yes, they would surely kill her, too. If she said no...

But Xi'an didn't have to answer. Her shadow started moving on its own.

"What the...?"

It was a little different looking that Xi'an: one, it had curly hair that was a lot shorter than the shoulder-length that Xi'an styled every morning. Two, it had visible eyes, glowing an evil red.

The two bullies prepared themselves. They weren't sure of the girl's powers, maybe this was one. The shadow began to step away from the wall, becoming more than just darkness. It was definitely not Xi'an's shadow. This was a masculine figure. It was taller than her, it had a bigger build, and that curly hair was _not_ hers.

But this was not one of Xi'an's powers. She was just as surprised as the larger youths. Even so, she recognized it...

The shadow stepped toward the other young men. One rushed at him, arms spread for what looked like a not-so-friendly hug. The silhouette didn't try to dodge, but held out an arm. The attacker hit the outstretched limb and froze. What felt like ice entered his chest where the fist had gone straight through.

He pulled backwards. "You're a freak, too!" he gasped.

The red eyes showed almost amusement at the statement. "You might say that," it said from no apparent mouth. From its belt, it pulled out another shadow; this one was long and pointy.

"What's with the toothpick, Shadow-Boy?"

The dark one twirled the sword in his hand. "It's Shade." Then he proceeded to jab it into the man's chest.

Xi'an screamed again. "It's okay, Shan," said Shade. "It's only a shadow."

But to the guy on the receiving end of the weapon, it wasn't "only a shadow". The cold rushed through his entire body. It wasn't exactly like ice, but it was like space, where there is no warmth. He crumpled, unconscious. 

Shade re-sheathed his sword and eyed the other man. "Your turn?"

Attacker number two fainted.

Xi'an stood up from her corner and asked, "Who are you?"

"Well, I was expecting a thank-you," replied the shadow. Then it became human, shrinking slightly. It was the thin boy that had heard the scream.

"Jim?" asked Xi'an. They were both in several classes together in junior high.

"Yeah, it's me." Jim walked over to Tran, the beaten boy lying on the ground. He bent down and placed to fingers to the body's neck. "I'm sorry, Shan. He's dead." (Since they had trouble pronouncing Xi'an, most people called her Shan.)

Xi'an sobbed, "If he hadn't used his powers to take advantage of people..." Her voice broke off.

Jim put his arm over her shoulders. "I'll walk you home," he said. "Why are you over in this part of town, anyway?"

"Those guys chased us," replied the girl through the tears that were still streaming down her face. "Why were _you_ over here?"

"Well, I kinda... ran away from home," he said sheepishly.

Xi'an turned and stood in front of him. "What happened?"

"You know how my parents feel about mutants... My powers showed up and I figured there would be a lot less trouble if I left."

"Oh, and what's with the sword?"

Shade grinned and pulled it out. It was a cheap, dollar-and-fifty-cent, plastic piece of junk. "I can turn it into shadow, and it does a lot more damage."

She gave a small laugh, retaking her position at his side as they walked. He kept making jokes, trying to cheer her up. It helped a little, but Xi'an kept crying.

When they reached her house, Jim changed back into a shadow. Before his head blackened, Shan leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. "Thanks, Jim."

He wobbled a little as she walked to the door. She turned and gave a very weak smile and a little wave to the retreating darkness.

***

"That'll be $13.67," said the cashier. Jim handed her a twenty. She gave him the change and the bag. He walked out into the sun, squinting against its brilliance. It was almost down, but the last rays were almost as bad as noon. Shade then dashed into an alley next to the sports wear store he had just come out of.

Shifting yet again to his darker look, he slid up the wall, joining with those cast by the other buildings. This was a part of his power: hiding inside other shadows. The only downside was that his eyes turned red and glowed, shining brightly.

On the roof of the building, the remaining light finally died, and Jim could roam freely without having to "shadow-jump", as he had named it. He usually had to do this because of hobos and gangs that used roofs as homes or meeting areas. There was no moon; they couldn't see him.

He jumped down to the ground after a few blocks, fusing slightly with the ground as a shock absorber. Jim had landed in a side-street with a few abandoned boxes.

He opened up the plastic sack he held and pulled out a pair of black gloves and some equally-dark jeans. He flipped over one of the boxes and dumped the rest of his gear out: a black shirt, his sword, and a black knit ski cap.

Shade pulled on the shirt. It was almost a sweater and had red stripes running down the sleeves and encircled right above the elbow. He quickly fused out of his blue jeans and into the black ones, just in case a hobo walked into the alley. He put on the hat over his "white man's 'fro" and the gloves over his darkly-tanned hands.

He knew that he didn't know much about his powers, but what he did know could be used to keep deaths like Tran's from happening.

He slid up the wall and into the night.

***

"Psst! Shan!"

It was about half a month later. Xi'an woke to see that now-familiar black shape sitting at her windowsill. "Jim!" she whispered. She sat up as he stepped inside.

"What's been happening?" he asked.

"Well, you were on the news. They say you helped with a drug bust last night."

"Yeah, I showed up, kicked a few butts. That sorta thing. Listen, I just got a tip from one of my sources downtown."

"Sources? You get around."

"Yeah. A nearby gang is being helped by someone with strange powers. Rumors say she's a mutant."

"Really?" said Xi'an. "Anyone familiar?"

"No, but I thought you might be interested. She calls herself Selene. My source also says they're the same gang that those guys that attacked you were from."

Xi'an's eyes filled with tears of rage. "Show me the way."


	9. Massacre

AN: Had to up the rating to PG for some violence, but just a little more than would go into a G, believe me. Partly a continuation of the previous chapter, partly a completely different chapter. Research taken from the Marvel Encyclopedia volume 2: the X-Men. Morlocks taken from original "Mutant Massacre" storyline and from the more recent "Morlocks" miniseries. I'm trying to explain why there are so few Morlocks in the Evolution episodes dealing with them.

Massacre

Ray:

"Come on!" whispered someone to my left. "Get it open!"

In the darkness, I could barely see the manhole cover I was trying to lift. I finally got under it with my fingers, and pried it up. Immediately, the dank smell of the sewers hit me. I should have been used to it, living down there for almost a year now, but we had been topside for several hours, and I was enjoying the good air.

"Caliban, gimme a check," said the same voice to the side. I felt him brush past me. He jumped into the sewer. A few seconds later, Caliban's hoarse, snakelike voice echoed up: "All clear."

One by one, the Morlocks returned to their home, new member in tow. His name was... I don't even remember his name; we just called him Beak. The kid was pretty short, about 5-foot, flat, and he had a nose like a bird's. Literally. He looked half-vulture, with ragged wings that gave him very limited flight.

But it didn't matter that he was so weird-looking. Most of the Morlocks were ugly, even more so than he. That's why we lived in the sewers. The world wasn't a kind place to people that looked like us. Only a few were normal-looking, like me, but we weren't wanted anywhere else, so the Morlocks took us in.

At least, I guess I'm normal-looking. I'm really tall and lanky, and my red hair is shaved pretty close, except for my bangs, which are spiked up in front. When my power, electricity channeling, first developed, I blew up a water fountain and ran from school to avoid arrest. Underground was the only place where I was cared about.

Callisto, our leader, used to be normal looking, but a strange accident ravaged her once-beautiful face, leaving it scarred and disfigured, also costing her an eye. Her life was over, but she decided to start anew, giving other mutants the same chance. It also had given her a roughness, an edge that she never had before. During an insurrection, she fought off half the other Morlocks using her power, superhuman senses and insane fighting skills. I both feared and respected the woman.

She and Beak were standing with a group of other high-ranking members of our community, as it were. Among these was Marrow, who would probably be considered second-in-command. Another rough one, she had purplish skin and red hair. She was scratching her back with a bone. That was her power: she could lengthen her bones to protrude from her skin, and then break them off as weapons. I thought it was kinda disturbing, and tried to avoid her as much as possible.

Caliban stood there also, his long arms gesturing. I could tell he was arguing with Marrow by the insistent look of his black, empty eyes. His skin was pale and almost reptilian, and he was completely bald.

"Listen," he was saying, "I detected the same group of mutants that was following us when we talked to Shade last. They know where we are, and I'm not sure they're friendly."

"I don't care," replied Marrow angrily. "We're going to meet up with Shade and take out the gang that killed Tran."

"Careful, Marrow," Callisto stepped in. "We may need to make contact with this group that is tracing us. Caliban, where are they now?"

The dark eyes closed for a moment. He was using his power, detection of mutants. As he reopened them, he said, "They are coming."

Callisto turned to me. "Berserker, take Tarbaby, Ape, and Trader. Go meet them and find out what they want. They won't be able to attack if you've got Leech."

I nodded, and then gathered the three together.

Tarbaby was a strange one. Named after the "Brer Rabbit" story, he created a sticky substance that made stuff cling to him. He was around my age, and always had little scraps of paper or other trash stuck to his clothes. It got really interesting when we had to go through large crowds. On these rare occasions, people would lose jackets, purses, even entire shirts, since the "tar" seeped through his clothes.

Ape matched his name. His face was long and monkey-like, and his arms and legs were slightly longer than they should've been. But his power was even weirder. He could change his shape into any solid object imaginable. You never knew what he would be next.

Trader was a really cool guy. He could blend into shadows and walls and make himself near invisible. He was the only guy I knew that I could really talk to. I guess you could call him my best friend, if you're allowed to have friends in the Morlocks.

I took the three to the tunnel nearest the approaching strangers. It led to a manhole in an alley near Shade's report of Tran's murder. It had been about a month since that, and it made most of the Morlocks hungry for vengeance. Tran had been a friend, a contact with the outside world. But he messed with Vanisher's gang, and got himself killed. We tried to stay away from Vanisher; he was bad news, but this time, we couldn't help it. He had to be taken down.

But, most of the Morlocks would not get their hungers fed.

***

As Berserker led his small team to investigate them, another squad of mutants waited for them. They were led by a tall man with red eyes, holding a Bo staff, and wearing a long trench coat. He, too, was arguing with others of his band.

"What is it dat he wants us to do, anyway?"

Another one, a familiar one to the X-men living a short distance away, replied in a low growl. "He wants us t' go down there an' kill 'em all, Cajun," said Sabretooth, the feral madman with a strange connection to Wolverine.

"I din' sign up to kill nobody," said Gambit. "All de guy wanted was fo' me to get all you together, but he said nothin' 'bout killin'."

"Boo, hoo. Go cry to your momma," said another, who resembled a glass sculpture.

"Listen, Prism, if he wants to go, he can go. We can get all these undergrounders by ourselves," said a girl with green hair.

"Den I'm outta..." began Gambit, but Sabretooth's hand muffled the rest.

He sniffed twice, and then said, "Shh! Someone's coming!"

They backed off into the shadows and watched as an adolescent girl walked past and into the tunnels.

"I think we found 'em," said Prism.

***

"Trader, go scout it out," I said. He vanished, and I thought I heard footsteps, their echoes fading away.

We waited for a few minutes, listening to car horns and the whistling of the wind through the alley. Suddenly, we heard running, and Trader emerged, gasping. He spoke one word: "Run."

Out of nowhere, a whirling cyclone of wind and dust flew towards us, a cackling head at the top. We turned to run, but it was too fast. We were caught in a mass of noise, confusion, and high-velocity air currents. Something hard hit me in the side of the head, and everything went dark.

***

I awoke some time later, dried blood on the side of my face. I saw Tarbaby lying on the ground nearby, dirt and blood stuck all over him. He was barely breathing. 

A trash can to my left moved and turned back into Ape. "Is it gone?" he asked.

"Where is Trader?"

"No idea. He may have disguised himself as I did to escape."

"Where'd that thing go?"

He pointed towards the tunnel entrance.

"Oh, no..."

***

A telepath was the first to speak of Gambit's group. "Riptide's in. Let's go."

They followed the girl they had seen several minutes earlier. Sabretooth sniffed her down and grabbed her from behind. "Where are the others?" he asked her.

She pointed farther down the tunnel, where they could see lights and hear voices. Sabretooth picked her up in one hand, clawed fingers wrapped around her neck.

"No, don't do dis," said Gambit. "She just a kid."

"I wasn't hired to spare women and children, Cajun."

"I ain't a part of dis. I'm outta here." He turned and walked back into daylight, hearing a slight scream as Sabretooth snapped the girl's neck. Remy shuddered at the sound. He couldn't let them just kill all those innocent mutants without a reason.

He turned and ran to where they had dropped off Riptide. Maybe he could get in through there.

***

Ape and I ran as fast as we could. We could hear screaming.

Finally, we reached the main room where we had left from. The cyclone guy was spiraling around the area, flinging strange star-shaped objects every way possible.

Another guy was grabbing harpoons from a quiver on his back and hurling them straight into people. Beak, the new guy, was impaled on one, stuck in the wall. Feathers drifted lazily to the dirt-covered floor as he slowly waved his wings, trying to escape.

"Oh, man." I thought I was going to throw up.

A wild man with long hair and deadly fingernails jumped out from another of the numerous entrances, howling. I threw out my hands and shot electricity at him. I held the charge to him until he was on the ground, writhing.

Then I almost fainted. I had used a bunch of juice on him, and I hadn't used my power in a while. It took a lot out of me.

I looked and saw several other Morlocks lying dead on the ground, either by the throwing stars or the harpoons. Then I saw Trader. He was over near where Beak had finally stopped moving. He was slashed up badly, probably from the guy I had just fried. He wasn't breathing and his blood was pooled all around him.

"No..."

I raced to the two that were throwing projectiles at Erg, another one-eyed Morlock with an eye patch. He was shooting energy out of his good eye, but he couldn't defend himself from a harpoon directly to his chest. He fell, and the attackers just laughed. Someone was going to pay for all this death.

I came up behind the one with the quiver and I pulled out one of his weapons. I hit him over the head with it, and he fell, a small trickle of red coming from his brown hair.

But I wasn't quick enough for the whirlwind. He hit me, and I was again engulfed in a purple fury.

This time, however, I was able to get a clear shot at the guy who was spinning himself to make the twister. I flung it as hard as I could, straight into his leg. He screamed in anguish and fury, and then he stopped spinning. He fell to the concrete ground, landing directly on his injured limb. He howled again, cursing me loudly.

I wrenched it from him, then stood over him. "That was for Beak. This is for Erg." I drove it into his other leg. 

He tried to speak, but the pain wouldn't let him. 

"This is for Trader." He lost an arm. 

"This one is for all the other Morlocks you killed. This is for all of us." I plunged the harpoon directly into his heart.

He spluttered a bit, coughing up red. Then he died.

"Hurk!" I bent over and vomited all over. I'd never killed anyone before. Now I'd just killed two, maybe three. I glanced over and saw that the clawed man had disappeared. I didn't think I'd done more than knock him out.

I fell to my knees, wiping blood from my face.

Finally, Callisto and Caliban came in, followed by several others, all battered and wounded. One was carrying an unconscious boy with green skin. The leader asked where the rest of my team was.

"Tarbaby's out cold in the alley; Ape turned into a big... something and chased after a girl with green hair; Trader..." I couldn't finish, only look at the body against the wall.

Callisto understood and nodded. "There are many more in the rest of the tunnels that shared that fate. Someone go get Tarbaby and take him and Leech to the Healer." We had a Morlock with healing powers; apparently he had survived. Then she spotted the two marauders that I had killed. "Nice work. That is only the beginning of the vengeance that must account for this innocent blood."

We spread out to find the rest of the living, which numbered very few. Only a couple had minor injuries from which they could recover. The rest wouldn't make the trip to the Healer and we were forced to leave them.

The air was even fouler-smelling from the carnage. Bodies were everywhere, down every tube, in every room. There were more speared into the walls, more with slash marks, more with throwing stars stuck in them. Nausea came over me again, but I fought it back.

"How many were there?" I asked.

"From what I've seen, there were maybe ten," replied Callisto.

"There were eleven," said Caliban hoarsely. "I sensed the last one leave the others before they killed Tommy. He came back later, but I'm not sure what he did."

We came upon Marrow, who was behind a wall of fallen rocks.

"They backed me into a corner, and they were about to finish me off," she said, "when a guy in a trenchcoat came and scared them off with a metal pole."

He had charged up the walls near that particular tunnel with some kind of energy power, and they exploded and sealed it off. Then he had apparently gone off to save a few others, who shared a similar story.

"Number eleven," I said.

"Maybe. Whatever he changed his mind for, be thankful for it," replied Callisto.

Now the Morlocks were even thirstier for blood. This revenge was even more important than Tran's. Now someone had struck us deep. We wanted someone to pay. Someone was going to pay.

AN: I am currently rewriting the first few chapters, and this may not match facts from the original lead-in. The title will also be changing from "First Missions" to "Newbies", and will be a much different storyline from the original.


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